Anyone fly with their clubs to Edinburgh lately?

[PJ Blake]

I'm debating whether I want to take my clubs (a backup set) to Edinburgh this September and check them in through the airline. I have reservations with a club rental company in Edinburgh, but it would sure be nice to have a set I'm familiar with (shaft, grip size, etc.). I did Shipsticks to Ireland one way, but they almost didn't make it to my first stop in spite of sending them with plenty of time. And Shipsticks is very expensive now. Anyway...my question is, has anyone flown with their clubs to Edinburgh in the last few months and how did it go? 

 

I'm flying out of SF to NY, changing from Delta to Virgin Atlantic, into Edinburgh. What are the odds I will see my clubs during my trip?🤣 I'm hoping they have rectified whatever issues caused a nightmare for so many in the past.

[hammergolf]

6 minutes ago, PJ Blake said:

I'm debating whether I want to take my clubs (a backup set) to Edinburgh this September and check them in through the airline. I have reservations with a club rental company in Edinburgh, but it would sure be nice to have a set I'm familiar with (shaft, grip size, etc.). I did Shipsticks to Ireland one way, but they almost didn't make it to my first stop in spite of sending them with plenty of time. And Shipsticks is very expensive now. Anyway...my question is, has anyone flown with their clubs to Edinburgh in the last few months and how did it go? 

 

I'm flying out of SF to NY, changing from Delta to Virgin Atlantic, into Edinburgh. What are the odds I will see my clubs during my trip?🤣 I'm hoping they have rectified whatever issues caused a nightmare for so many in the past.

Since you’re flying domestic from NY to EDI and have a decent layover you’ll be fine. As long as you avoid Heathrow and British Airways you generally are good.

[PJ Blake]

Thanks hammer. I've read Edinburgh itself is (or was?) as much of an issue as Heathrow. Stories about them "losing" tons of golf bags on arrival, stashing them in an unknown location, never getting them to the customers, and selling them. Has that been cleaned up?

[hammergolf]

1 hour ago, PJ Blake said:

Thanks hammer. I've read Edinburgh itself is (or was?) as much of an issue as Heathrow. Stories about them "losing" tons of golf bags on arrival, stashing them in an unknown location, never getting them to the customers, and selling them. Has that been cleaned up?

I’ve flown into EDI 4 times and never had an issue with my clubs. Probably most of what you’re reading is from after Covid when the baggage handlers were short staffed and the sheer volume of missed bags being flown in from Heathrow. As far as clubs not getting to customers or being sold, that’s utter nonsense. In addition, there are dozens of posts from people who went on trips to Scotland and none of them mentioned not getting their clubs.

Edited July 15 by hammergolf

[tad950]

I flew in and out of EDI in June 2024. No issues. Two years ago was a completely different story. Major staffing issues in the UK then. I happened to see a report on BBC. There was a shortage of 30,000 airline and airport employees post Covid. One of the guys on the trip had to look through 2 warehouses of lost luggage by himself to find his golf travel bag and suitcase. 
 

There was only one person in our large group that didn’t get his golf bag. He connected through Heathrow. I’ve avoided Heathrow my last 3 trips. Going from SFO to Toronto to EDI. Never any luggage issues, but some brutally long flight delays (4+ hours) heading home.

 

p.s. I’m guessing you’re on the NCGA trip in September. 😄

Edited July 15 by tad950

[sheppick.dan]

4 hours ago, PJ Blake said:

Thanks hammer. I've read Edinburgh itself is (or was?) as much of an issue as Heathrow. Stories about them "losing" tons of golf bags on arrival, stashing them in an unknown location, never getting them to the customers, and selling them. Has that been cleaned up?

We put Apple AirTags in our luggage. I hid mine in the bottom of my iron bag. Was able to track it everywhere it went. 
 

 

[PJ Blake]

47 minutes ago, sheppick.dan said:

We put Apple AirTags in our luggage. I hid mine in the bottom of my iron bag. Was able to track it everywhere it went. 
 

 

I'll have to use SmartTag for my Samsung unless someone knows of a better alternative for Android. Sounds like a good idea sheppick, but if your clubs don't get on the plane during your layover, an air tag isn't really much use, is it? 

[Mostly]

The biggest problem with luggage going missing at Edinburgh was because they were receiving a vast amount of bags that were arriving on a later plane to the owner, usually because of problems with earlier connections.  As long as things work ok at the US airports you should be fine.

[Roody]

Just flew in and out of Edinburgh about a couple weeks ago. No issues with clubs, flights, it went very smoothly. 

[sheppick.dan]

8 hours ago, PJ Blake said:

I'll have to use SmartTag for my Samsung unless someone knows of a better alternative for Android. Sounds like a good idea sheppick, but if your clubs don't get on the plane during your layover, an air tag isn't really much use, is it? 

It attaches to others Bluetooth so if they say they “can’t locate” you can smile and say let me help ya! I’ve heard of instances of it getting people’s things back quicker. 

[jvincent]

8 hours ago, PJ Blake said:

I'll have to use SmartTag for my Samsung unless someone knows of a better alternative for Android. Sounds like a good idea sheppick, but if your clubs don't get on the plane during your layover, an air tag isn't really much use, is it? 

 

Samsung SmartTags work well. I have them in my golf bag and checked luggage. A few trips ago on the way home, so it didn't really matter, my golf bag didn't make the connection. As soon as we were off the plane I checked its location, saw it was still at YYZ, and went directly to the luggage counter without having to wait.

[PJ Blake]

12 hours ago, tad950 said:

I flew in and out of EDI in June 2024. No issues.

p.s. I’m guessing you’re on the NCGA trip in September. 

Good to hear about your recent trip.

 

No not going with NCGA. Just a father/ son trip. I've thought about signing up for one of those trips.... Scotland, Bandon Dunes, etc. Bayonet Black Horse is also doing a Scotland trip in 2025 and I'd sure love to go. The problem with those group trips, for me, is they play every day and I can't do 18 or more holes every day for that many days. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed after sitting in a plane so long I'll be able to play with my son when we get there.🤣

Are you NCGA and have you ever gone on one of their trips?

[PJ Blake]

2 hours ago, jvincent said:

 

Samsung SmartTags work well. 

Thanks for the info. I was just reading that SmartTags are for Samsung Galaxy only, so can only bounce off of other Galaxy devices rather than any Android phone, which could potentially limit it's reach? I don't know anything about these tracking devices, but maybe just a general android compatible tracker would be a bit more reliable? 

[Llortamaisey]

Flew in there at the end of May. Golf clubs made it but they lost a bag with clothes. It finally arrived 24 hours later. Direct flight on delta so I’m not sure what happened. 

[jvincent]

59 minutes ago, PJ Blake said:

Thanks for the info. I was just reading that SmartTags are for Samsung Galaxy only, so can only bounce off of other Galaxy devices rather than any Android phone, which could potentially limit it's reach? I don't know anything about these tracking devices, but maybe just a general android compatible tracker would be a bit more reliable? 

 

The Samsung tags do only connect to other Samsung devices, much like the Apple AirTags, but given the number of Samsung phones out there I haven't ever had an issue.

[tad950]

3 hours ago, PJ Blake said:

Good to hear about your recent trip.

 

No not going with NCGA. Just a father/ son trip. I've thought about signing up for one of those trips.... Scotland, Bandon Dunes, etc. Bayonet Black Horse is also doing a Scotland trip in 2025 and I'd sure love to go. The problem with those group trips, for me, is they play every day and I can't do 18 or more holes every day for that many days. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed after sitting in a plane so long I'll be able to play with my son when we get there.🤣

Are you NCGA and have you ever gone on one of their trips?

I've been on several NCGA trips. Yes. It can be a grind playing consecutive days. This last trip I was a ballot pick for the Old Course so I stayed extra days after NCGA. Ended up playing 15 rounds. And I'm no spring chicken 😀. 
 

You and your son should have a great time! Golf is indeed special in Scotland. 

[cardia10]

We flew from Toronto to EDI direct the year the Open was at St Andrews. Stood in the airport with Victor Hovland who also had no clubs....Ping made him a set to play the Scottish Open then his clubs arrived. Ping never made me a set and my clubs arrived on the day we left Scotland (10 days late) just to be lost again on the way home. Flew Air Canada. The day we left, had to go to a warehouse and hunt for our clubs along with at least 1,000 other bags in piles by day of arrival. We had air tags, but getting anyone in customer service to care seemed to be the main issue. Our clubs sat on the tarmac in the rain for 2 days in Toronto. I've heard the issue is much better now, but I'm honestly not sure I'll ever fly over the ocean with my clubs again.

[hammergolf]

4 hours ago, cardia10 said:

We flew from Toronto to EDI direct the year the Open was at St Andrews. Stood in the airport with Victor Hovland who also had no clubs....Ping made him a set to play the Scottish Open then his clubs arrived. Ping never made me a set and my clubs arrived on the day we left Scotland (10 days late) just to be lost again on the way home. Flew Air Canada. The day we left, had to go to a warehouse and hunt for our clubs along with at least 1,000 other bags in piles by day of arrival. We had air tags, but getting anyone in customer service to care seemed to be the main issue. Our clubs sat on the tarmac in the rain for 2 days in Toronto. I've heard the issue is much better now, but I'm honestly not sure I'll ever fly over the ocean with my clubs again.

That was in the Covid timeframe. 

[nsxguy]

On 7/15/2024 at 12:13 PM, Llortamaisey said:

Flew in there at the end of May. Golf clubs made it but they lost a bag with clothes. It finally arrived 24 hours later. Direct flight on delta so I’m not sure what happened. 

 

Even with flights on the same airline a bag can miss a connection, no ?

[Sean30114]

We flew from Atlanta to EDI with a connection in Toronto on Air Canada and somehow one of our bags went from Toronto to Brazil to Germany to Manchester before making its way to Edinburgh. This was three weeks ago. As the poster above mentioned, getting anyone in customer service to care is the biggest issue. It's was obvious that all they could do is read from a script and didn't have the ability to apply common sense to resolve the problem in a timely manner.

[hammergolf]

14 minutes ago, Sean30114 said:

We flew from Atlanta to EDI with a connection in Toronto on Air Canada and somehow one of our bags went from Toronto to Brazil to Germany to Manchester before making its way to Edinburgh. This was three weeks ago. As the poster above mentioned, getting anyone in customer service to care is the biggest issue. It's was obvious that all they could do is read from a script and didn't have the ability to apply common sense to resolve the problem in a timely manner.

Sounds like Toronto and Air Canada need to be added to the list of airports and airlines to avoid. 

[Llortamaisey]

6 hours ago, nsxguy said:

 

Even with flights on the same airline a bag can miss a connection, no ?

No connecting flight. It was direct. 

[jvincent]

20 hours ago, hammergolf said:

Sounds like Toronto and Air Canada need to be added to the list of airports and airlines to avoid. 

 

If you're flying out of Canada, good luck with that.

[PJ Blake]

Keeping my fingers crossed JFK has it together. 

[hammergolf]

19 hours ago, PJ Blake said:

Keeping my fingers crossed JFK has it together. 

You’ll be fine. How long is your layover? If you’re really paranoid, just check your clubs to JFK then re-check them at JFK.

[PJ Blake]

28 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

You’ll be fine. How long is your layover? If you’re really paranoid, just check your clubs to JFK then re-check them at JFK.

I didn't know I could do that. So I check them in @ SFO and tell them I want to pick them up @JFK and re-check them? For another $70 I assume. I have a 1hr 45min layover

[Hawkeye77]

No reason to worry about your clubs - 99% chance they’ll get there. 

[hammergolf]

On 7/19/2024 at 1:24 PM, PJ Blake said:

I didn't know I could do that. So I check them in @ SFO and tell them I want to pick them up @JFK and re-check them? For another $70 I assume. I have a 1hr 45min layover

If you’ve got a 1hr 45mins layover that’s plenty of time for your clubs to get transferred. If you’re still not comfortable with checking them, use Shipsticks to send them early. Then you can just check them for your flight home. 

[DaveGoodrich]

On 7/17/2024 at 9:38 AM, hammergolf said:

Sounds like Toronto and Air Canada need to be added to the list of airports and airlines to avoid. 

Wow. I just flew from LAX to Edinburgh on Air Canada, through Toronto, and had no issues going either direction. Remember, individual anecdotes aren't statistically valid🙄

[coolcucumber_1]

Im in the same boat as the OP, flying from SFO to EDI next week with a layover at Dulles.

Ended up changing to an earlier flight to give a longer window in transit, fingers crossed.

 

8 courses in 10 days starting next friday....cant say how excited I am.